Well I just purchased a Tmobile BB8700 for my wife, the idea is that she can use it with her laptop (Gateway MT6729) for internet access.

I went to tmobile.com/bbupdate and downloaded the latest Device Manager and Desktop manager and installed them on her laptop.

I then plugged in her 8700 and went through the entire update process bringing it up to date with the new Desktop Manager version.

Vista had no problem recognizing that the blackberry was connected and all seemed to go great.

Then I went to setup her 8700 to act as a modem. FYI, we purchased Tmobile's data package so we could tether. So:

I went through the steps to setup a new "dial up" connection and found that the "Standard Modem" is not listed as an option to select during the new connection setup process.

I went to device manager and verified that the RIM Virtual Serial Port V2 was listed there, and in device manager it registers as Com4.

However there is no way to select "Standard Modem" from the Vista "new connection setup". It's as though it was never installed / doesn't exist to vista.

I'm at a loss, I called Tmobile, they said it wasn't their problem, that I needed to call the laptop manufacturer. I called Gateway(the laptop mfg) they say vista is functioning normally and it's not their problem. I've searched and searched the web looking for a "fix" and I really can't find one. I'm hoping someone here can help me out. I didn't expect to run into such trouble and I'm unsure what to do next.

I am using my 8830 as a modem with vista.
I set it up as a dial-up connection (while the device was connected) and it displayed the Blackberry as a modem to use.
I dont know if the different devices OS is the same or not.

Ok well I have a solution for this problem. It took a lot of tinkering but I got it up and running. Let me add a line here real quick so that search engines pick this post up for any lost souls looking for this fix.

Basically some Windows Vista Installations on certain laptops and assembly line desktops(gateway, dell, ibm), is not fully complete. It has all of the driver files in the proper place, but for whatever reason, the system manufacturer decided to leave some of these driver files blank. I'm not sure why they do this, but they do it. In order for the Standard Modem to be detected and appear, you need the following file:

mdmgen.inf

Now, if you're savvy, you'll find that yes, you indeed already have this file installed on your machine. But for whatever reason, you will see that it is not the true, original, complete file that Microsoft Windows puts on a standard install. For whatever reason, your system builder has trimmed it to only have support for the modem that was pre-installed on your laptop(or desktop, I'm sure).

So what you need to do now is:

Find a desktop pc with a normal full install of Windows XP or Vista(yes the xp file will work even in vista, I did it).

You then must make a copy of mdmgen.inf from the full normal installed xp or vista machine, then bring it over to your laptop and replace the file that's on there.

Now, here are step by step instructions for those who need further guidance:

How to: Copy the mdmgen.inf file from another computer. Make sure the BlackBerry device is disconnected from the computer during this process.

Find a computer running the same version of Windows XP, including the same service packs.
On that computer, click Start>Run and type %systemroot%\inf. Click OK. Windows Explorer opens the INF folder.
Locate the mdmgen.inf file, then transfer it to the target computer (e.g., as an email attachment).
On the target computer, go to Start>Run and type %systemroot%\inf. Click OK. Windows Explorer opens the INF folder.
Save the mdmgen.inf file in the INF folder.
Perform a clean uninstall of the BlackBerry desktop software. For instructions, see KB02206.
Restart the computer.
Re-install the desktop software.
Open Windows Device Manager and verify that the Standard Modem device is created.
In the Control Panel, double-clickSystem.
On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
Expand Modems. The Standard Modem device should appear!

Yep, it's that ez. What I basically did was toss out the mdmgen.inf file from vista(gateway's vista) and replace it with a winxp version that was... more robust.

Well I hope this helps if someone needs it. I hope the mods don't delete this, I wanted to post the solution, for karma's sake.

. . . Basically some Windows Vista Installations on certain laptops and assembly line desktops(gateway, dell, ibm), is not fully complete. It has all of the driver files in the proper place, but for whatever reason, the system manufacturer decided to leave some of these driver files blank. I'm not sure why they do this, but they do it. . . .

Well I hope this helps if someone needs it. I hope the mods don't delete this, I wanted to post the solution, for karma's sake.